Comments on: Killing and Prepping a Turkey, with Pictures

By: gary

gary — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 08:01:39 +0000

My grand-parents and parents used to raise capons (chickens for those culinarily challenged) and we always bled the birds. Nowhere near the shock value of lobbing off heads, but more efficient according to the adults. Now I simply visit the butcher for a free-range bird.

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 01:54:04 +0000

Got my own two birds this way. More or less.

My stepfather actually had to get out his scoped .22 pistol to whack George, who was a class A bastard from hatch to plucking.

By: bbum

bbum — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 16:16:32 +0000

According to the owner of the farm (very nice chap, btw), the method of bleeding out the turkeys by cutting an artery (and not lopping off the head, which sounds sort of satisfying in a Conan kind of way) allows the heart to pump out the blood, thus removing blood from the joints.

Paul indicated that lopping off the heads or the various shock methods of killing the birds results in more blood in the legs and wings in the prepped birds. Having eaten a bunch of his chickens and a bunch of store bought chickens, I have observed that there is a lot more blood — red veiny things and the like — in the joints of insta-kill chickens versus his method.

And Paul’s birds are definitely delicious. Way beyond anything bought in a store.